


Ambition: Quartet

by deepandlovelydark



Series: That Deep Romantic Chasm, or Journey to the Center of the Neath [13]
Category: Fallen London | Echo Bazaar, MacGyver (TV 1985)
Genre: Ambition, Ambition: Heart's Desire, Ambition: Light Fingers, Ambition: Nemesis, Flash Fic, POV Second Person, general Neathy weirdness, newspaper copy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-26
Updated: 2017-11-26
Packaged: 2019-02-07 07:04:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12835854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deepandlovelydark/pseuds/deepandlovelydark
Summary: Four Ambitions, four interviews.





	Ambition: Quartet

**Author's Note:**

> “Fallen London is © 2015 and ™ Failbetter Games Limited: www.fallenlondon.com. This is an unofficial fan work.” And MacGyver is copyright either Paramount or Lee David Zlotoff, depending.

_Bag a Legend_

The Welsh Chorister looks towards you, anxiously.

“It’s like this. There’s a monster called the Vake, and I’m sure he’s one of the Masters in disguise-”

“The newspapers don’t want to hear about your silliness,” the Sensible Bookworm interrupts hastily. “Why don’t you talk about something more fun? Your work, maybe?”

He looks relieved by her prompting, and quickly changes topics; you leave having heard a great deal about Urchin choir practices, and Welsh patronyms, but not the story you came for. 

Still. This sweet young couple, up to who knows what mischief in the Forbidden Quarter, will at least make for some salacious copy. 

***********************

_Heart’s Desire_

“Unfinished business,” the Innocent Spy says, pouring you a cup of hot mushroom tea. “I’m all right as long as I’m in London, London’s busy and happening and there’s no end of matters to distract me. But when I go out on the Underzee...” He sighs, takes a few scones out from a stone jar. “To Port Carnelian, or up to Venderbight- I catch myself dreaming about this engine. And I don’t understand anything I’m seeing, and I know I won’t.”

You accept the proffered treats. They’re actually rather good. 

“My niece baked them,“ he says proudly. “She’s so clever at handicrafts…see, there are prices I wouldn’t be willing to pay, and she’s one of them. I suppose that’s what I want, really. A chance to gain this engine, without having to sacrifice anything for it- now that really is the stuff of dreams. Which is why I doubt this’ll work.”

He sighs. 

“But at full moon, when I’m on the edge of sleep, I’d swear the Impeller sings to me...you won’t mention that part, will you? Only my niece would worry.”

***********************

_Light Fingers_

“Of course, I counted on some exaggeration,” the Unrepentant Smuggler tells you. “A diamond the size of a cow is ridiculous.”

He’s stacking foxfire candles into a wheelbarrow. Cases of them. 

“So there it was, just some whimsy to break up the grind at first. Bit of wandering about, bit of going mad, the usual stuff. Until I found out about this orphanage, anyway. I like to think I’m as self-possessed as the next Londoner, you know? But that hit me where it hurt. See, back on the Surface...I was in a place like that, for a little while.”

The Smuggler piles on the last box, ties it all securely with a recidivist’s knot. “Three times I’ve been in there now. The Innocent Spy keeps begging me to stop, because I spend a week on his sofa recovering from the nightmares, every time I try. But he doesn’t have a monopoly on consideration, and it’s not about the diamond any more. That Poor Edward- oh, I’ll poor Edward him when I get the chance, believe me.”

He grins. “This’ll make my fourth trip. Wanna come along?”

***********************

_Nemesis_

“Three leads,” the Graceful Carpenter says. “An envelope of flower petals. A bloodied knife. And a photograph- oh, do you have those down here yet?”

You nod and look about her spare, sparse bedroom. This is not a woman who cares much for the amenities of life. 

“My husband, my brother, and this time- my lover, maybe something more if I’d ever given us the chance. I couldn’t bring myself to take it further, you see. Too afraid something would take him away, if I did.”

Her smile is mirthless. “Which was quite the right decision. Once I heard about the immortality down here, I thought, maybe there’s just the slightest chance. But it doesn’t work that way, does it? Not if you died on the Surface.”

You ask what she’ll do, after. 

“Irrigo. The Shrine of Saint Joshua, every Midnighter’s resort...I’ll go gladly, then. But not yet. Not until the job’s done.”

The Carpenter pulls out a gun that does not belong here. Bluish-grey steel like devil’s weapons, or rat-tempered secrets. 

“The ironic part is, he’d have hated me for doing this. Won’t do you any good, he’d say. But what I’m becoming isn’t important. Revenge is.”

She fires out the window. Somewhere there is a tinkle of breaking glass, and a scream. 

“A reduction in suspicion, you said? Glad to hear it.”


End file.
